Reversible driving-gear.



No. 678,486. Patented July l6, l90l.

R. M. HEAD. REVERSIBLE DRIVING GEAR.

(Application filad-A pr. 17. 1900. (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet I.

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REVERSIBLE DRIVING GEAR.

(Application filed Apr. 17, 1900.)

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No. 678,486. Patented July [6, l90l.

R. M. HEAD. REVERSIBLE DRIVING GEAR.

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No. 678,486. Patented July [6, I90l.

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REVERSIBLE DRIVING GEAR.

(Application filed Apr. 17 1900.) (No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT QEEICE.

REUBEN M. HEAD, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

REVERSIBLE DRlVlNG-GEAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 678,486, dated July 16, 1901- Application filed April 17, 1900. Serial No. 13,256. (No'modeL) T0 on whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, REUBEN M. HEAD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reversible Driving-Gear, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to provide new and improved driving mechanism for bicycles and other vehicles; and to this end my invention consists of new and improved reversible and variable driving-gear mechanism and in the construction and arrangement of parts, all as fully hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate applications of the present invention, Figure 1 is a sectional plan view of my improved driving-gear; Fig. 2, an inner elevation of the clutch-disk formed uponone of the cranks; Fig. 3, a side elevation and vertical section through the hub of a wheel provided with my improved driving mechanism; Fig. 4., an enlarged sectional detail view, partly in perspective, of some of the parts employed; Fig. 5, a sectional plan view of a modified form of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 6, an enlarged sectional detail view of some of the parts employed in Fig. 5; Figs. 7 and 8, sectional plan views of alternate forms of the sprocket or chain wheel mechanism shown in Figs. 1 and 5 adapted to bevel gear-wheels; Figs. 9-and 10, broken side elevations and vertical sections of the mechanism employed in Figs. 7 and 8; Fig. 11, a sectional elevation of the device I em-i ploy for adjusting and securing the face-plate, and Fig. 12 an outer elevation of the clutchdisk formed upon one of the cranks.

In the drawings I have shown my driving mechanism employed in connection with bicycles of the chainless'class and those driven by sprocket wheel and chain-and mechanism by means of which when the rider back-pedals or drives the cranks in the opposite direc tion to that commonly used the gear of the wheel will be decreased and the power correspondingly increased, so that a high drivinggear may be employed, while at the same time the gear may be automatically changed by merely moving the cranks in the opposite direction.

Referring to the drawings, 2 represents a crank-axle, having cranks 3 3 secured thereto by screws 4. 4:. Inside one of the cranks a clutch-disk 5 is out upon the rim portion of the hub, which is enlarged for this purpose. The crank-clutch 5 is provided with alternate teeth 6, inclined in the direction of stress and which are adapted to engage with corresponding teeth 7 upon the coned rim portion of sleeve 8. This sleeve carries the main driving sprocket or bevel gear wheel 9. The main driving sprocket or bevel gear wheel 9 is provided with an internal gear-wheel 10, whose teeth 11 are engaged by pinion-wheels 12, which in turn engage a spur-wheel 13. Spur-wheel 13 is secured to the hollow shaft 14. This hollow shaft surrounds the crankaxle and rotates in ball-bearings 15, interposed between it and the sleeve 8, which sleeve in turn revolves upon ball-bearings 16, interposed between the sleeve and a hollow hub or crank -'hanger 17. The spurwheel 13 is provided with slots 18, which engage with corresponding lugs 19 upon the hollow shaft and is secured thereto by a sleeve-nut 20, whose outer face is indented with slots 21, adapted to engage with corresponding lugs upon the rim portion of an adj usting tool or wrench. Wheels 12 have ballbearings 22, rotating upon coned studs 23, affixed to the inner face of the spanner or carrier 24 and further secured thereto by a locknut 25. The inner rim or flanged portion of the spanner or carrier is provided with a toothed clutch member 26, whose teeth are inclined in apposition to those of the crankclutch 5 and are adapted to be engaged with similar teeth 27 upon the curved rim portion of a locking clutch member 28. Clutch member 28 is held free fora limited lateral move ment by projecting, lugs 29 and is kept from rotating by slots 30, cut in a flanged extension of the hollow hub 17 or, as shown in Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, in the face-plate 31, which is joined by interfitting screw-threads 32 to the hollow hub 17 and locked by the tap or key bolt 33. The locking clutch member 28 is provided with a circular groove 34, formed byflanges 35. To engage and disengage the clutches, I provide a pin 36 upon the crank-axle. This pin projects through a slot 37 in the hollow shaft 14 and extends into the circular groove 34 of the locking clutch member, said slot being inclined atan angle to the plane of the clutch-disks. Intermediate of the length of this inclined slot I provide slight shoulders 38 for the purpose hereinafter explained. In consequence of this pin and inclined slot a forward pressure applied to the pedals will throw the crank-clutch into engagement with the coned sleeve carrying the main sprocket or bevel gear wheel. While the crank-clutch is in engagement with the sleeve the spur and pinion wheels remain inactive. \Vhen, however, in ascending or descending a hill or whenever desired back ward and downward pressure is applied to the pedals, the pin 36, moving within the slot, will disconnect the crank clutch or disk from the sleeve carrying the main driving sprocket or bevel gear wheel. After this is accomplished the gear will be reduced and the power correspondingly increased by reason of the spur and pinion wheels coming into action, the pin bearing upon the end of the slot in the hollow shaft and the motion passing through the spur-wheel and through the intermediate pinion-wheel to the internal gear-wheel carrying the main driving sprocket or bevel gear wheel, to which the power is delivered through the intermedium of the interfitting slots 39 and lugs 40 upon the rim portion of the internal gear-wheel and through the bolts 41. (Shown in Fig. 5 and elsewhere.)

To prevent rattling of the intermediate wheels within the case formed by the internal gear-wheel and the carrier-disk, I provide coned disks 42 and 43, having interfitting hub portions, as shown in Fig. 4, and provided with ball-races, in which are contained a series of balls 22. These disks contact with suitable bevel-faced rings 44 and 45, secured at the pitch-lines of the internal gear and of the wheels 12, respectively. 6 By this construction ballbearings are provided for the intermediate wheels, which may thus move easily and noiselessly when the machine is back-pedaled.

In Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 I show modified forms from that shown by Fig. 1. In these figures it will be noted I employ a face-plate 31, attached to the hub 17 by the interfitting screw-threads 32 and locked thereto by the key-bolt 33. Other modifications found in these figures are the construction of the carrier or spanner and the manner of mounting the intermediate wheels 12. The carrier in this instance comprises two disks 24 and 24, held together by bolts 46, threaded into the short column 47, formed upon the inside face of the carrier-disk 24. The wheels 12 are provided with ball-bearings 22, rotating upon the coned studs 23 of the disks 24 and 24. The carrier-disks are also provided with coned seats 48 49, rotatingupon ball-bearings contained in the ball-races 50 and 51, formed upon an extension of the spur-wheel. The adjusting coneseat 49 is threaded into the carrier 24 and secured by the lock-nut 52.

In the drawings representing the device in the modified forms shown by Figs. 5, 8, and 10 I show the pin midway of the length of the inclined slot in juxtaposition with the slight shoulder 38, in which position both clutches are freed from contact with the engaging mechanism and the gear is in position for coasting,a sharp blow upon the pedals in either direction being all that is necessary to bring the respective clutches into action.

For the purposes ofassembling or dismounting some of the parts I show in Fig. 11 a device 53 for attachment to the key-bolt 33. When it is desired to eitherscrew or unscrew the face-plate 31, which is connected to the crank-hanger 17 by the screw-threads 32, the device 53 is applied to the key-bolt 33 and adjusted so that it will come in contact with a pedal-crank. By turning the crank the face-plate may be quickly applied to or removed from the hub, as is desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In changeable speed mechanism, the combination, with the pedal-cranks,of a crankaxle, a sleeve carrying the main sprocket or bevel geariwheel, a pedal-crank clutch member, aclutch member on the sleeve, and means actuated by the pedal-cranks for shifting the axle to bring said clutch members into engagement, substantially as set forth.

2. In changeable speed mechanism, the combination,with the pedal-cranks,of a crankaxle, a hollow shaft surrounding the crankaxle and having a gear-wheel aflixed thereto, a sleeve carrying the main sprocket orIbevel gear wheel, intermediate pinionwheels, a spanner, or carrier, clutch members, and means actuated by the crank-axle for bringing said clutch members into engagement, substantially as set forth.

3. In changeable speed mechanism, the combination,with the pedal-oranks,of a crankaxle, a hollow shaft surrounding the crank axle, means on the crank-axle en gaging with the hollow shaft, a main driving sprocket or bevel gear wheel, and intermediate mechanism for changing the gear, said mechanism actuated by the crank-axle and caused by a forward or a backward pressure applied to the pedal-cranks, substantially as set forth.

4. In changeable speed mechanism, the combination,with the pedal-cranks,ofacrank= axle, a pin on the axle, a hollow shaft provided with an inclined slot, said pin extending into the slot and caused to move laterally in one direction when the movement of the cranks is forward and in the opposite direction when the movement of the cranks is reversed, thereby moving the crank-axle longi- IIO tudinally relatively to the hollow shaft, a

main driving sprocket or bevel gear wheel,

and intermediate mechanism connecting the hollow shaft and the main driving sprocket or bevel gear wheel, substantially as set forth.

5. In changeable speed mechanism, the combination,with the pedal-cranks,of a crankaXle, a hollow shaft surrounding the crankaxle and provided with a slot, a pin or lug extending from the crank-axle into the slot, a sleeve carrying the main driving-wheel and having an internal gear connected therewith, a spurgear rigidly secured to the hollow shaft and wheels intermediate the internal gear and spur-gear, a crank-clutch member adapted to engage with a clutch member on said sleeve, a locking-clutch member, and a carrier, or spanner provided with a clutch member to engage with the locking-clutch member, said pairs of clutches alternately operated by a forWard-and-backward movement of the pedal-cranks, substantially as set forth.

6. In changeable speed mechanism, the combination with the pedal-cranks, of a crankaxle, a hollow shaft surrounding the crankaxle, means connecting the hollow shaft and the crank-axle, two pairs of clutches, means whereby one pair of clutches is brought into engagement by a forward pressure applied to the pedal-cranks and the other pair by a backward, or reverse pressure applied to the pedal cranks, a main driving sprocket or bevel gear wheel, and intermediate mechanism connecting the hollow shaft and the main driving sprocket or bevel gear wheel, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

REUBEN M. HEAD.

Witnesses:

EDWARD B. VAILL, W. G. DOOLITTLE. 

